MLB power rankings: Pirates soar after raucous debut, stirring sweep
Konnor Griffin made his MLB debut and the Pirates are looking good early.
The loudest roar of the weekend probably came when Konnor Griffin cracked an RBI double in his first major league at-bat. Yet for the Pittsburgh Pirates , silence has been golden. Arguably the game's most downtrodden franchise the past three decades, the Pirates have roared from the gates in 2026, winning six of their first nine games and soaring 12 spots in USA TODAY Sports' MLB power rankings.
And in sweeping the Baltimore Orioles in their home-opening series, the Pirates got deftly-pitched games from Mitch Keller and Braxton Ashcraft, 4 ⅓ scoreless relief innings in a 10-inning walk-off and a three-run homer from free agent slugger Ryan O'Hearn, his third of the year. Imagine that: A sweep of a good team, and Paul Skenes had nothing to do with it. A look at our updated rankings: 1.
Los Angeles Dodgers (-) Mookie Betts' oblique strain means lots of run for Miguel Rojas on his farewell tour. 2. New York Yankees (+3) This guy is trouble: Cam Schlittler hasn't allowed a run in his first 11 ⅔ innings.
3. Milwaukee Brewers (+7) Third team's the charm? Kyle Harrison with 14 punchouts in his first two starts.